


The Fire Prince and The Orphan

by itsS



Series: The Fire Prince and The Orphan [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insomnia, M/M, Nervousness, No Sex, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 12:10:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3649845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsS/pseuds/itsS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iroh realizes a little late that planning a wedding as Prince of the Fire Nation might be more complicated than he expected. Bolin helps him get his mind off things so he can get to sleep again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fire Prince and The Orphan

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to be the prologue to a series that explores Iroh & Bolin's relationship over the years, dealing with marriage and children. An AU where Bolin and Iroh are together after the Red Lotus is defeated and the Kuvira Crisis doesn't really exist (because I haven't finished book 4 yet). This is my first fic and since it's the prologue it's mostly meant to establish the situation. Bolin is 18 and Iroh is 26.

Iroh couldn’t help but pace the floor of his Republic City apartment, but he forced himself to pace slowly and quietly. It was very late, and Bolin was still asleep, even after Iroh had woken up in the middle of the night. Bolin slept like a rock, but Iroh had been having trouble sleeping for a few days. Iroh never would’ve guessed that planning a wedding would be more stressful than leading an army. Perhaps it was just typical crazy bride stuff – as much as either he or Bolin could really be called a “bride”. More than likely, it was because of all the things Iroh had forgotten to consider. It was completely out of character for him to forget anything, but then proposing to Bolin wasn’t the same as leading troops into battle. He had gotten so caught up in proposing that it was a miracle he’d remembered to ask permission first. Iroh’s mother, Fire Lord Izumi, had been skeptical when Iroh first introduced her to Bolin, but she had grown fond of him, and told Iroh to do whatever would make him happy. Iroh realized later that he didn’t only have to please his mother; he had to please the whole Fire Nation. As the next in line to the throne, he had a responsibility to continue the royal family’s restoration of Fire Nation honor. He hadn’t even considered the fact that he and Bolin would never be able to produce heirs. Adoption was possible, but there were some old nobles who Iroh knew would do whatever they could to contest the throne. Bolin, of course, was oblivious, still caught up in the post-engagement ecstasy. Iroh hadn’t told him any of this yet, unwilling to spoil this for Bolin. After a little while, though, he would ask for Bolin’s advice. He needed someone who could see the bright side of things. Bolin had always been good at that. Mako, on the other hand, was naturally cynical and suspicious. When Bolin first told Mako that he was dating Iroh, Mako tried to stop him. He’d met Iroh during the battle against the Equalists, of course, but he didn’t like the idea of an older man dating his brother. Bolin probably told him it was none of his business, but Iroh suspected that Mako only relented because Iroh left soon afterwards. He served in the United Forces for two years, while Bolin was off having adventures of his own. Bolin was adorable when he got really into the storytelling. As much as Iroh wished he had been there, he loved watching Bolin make fighting gestures and little noises while demonstrating how he beat up whoever was trying to stop Korra that day. Pabu always scrambled across Bolin’s broad shoulders as he moved, squeaking and wagging his tail. Bolin had been telling one of those stories when Iroh finally got the nerve to ask the question he’d been dying to ask for weeks. Bo was so happy he’d jumped up and down so hard it probably shook the whole city. Iroh wouldn’t have cared either way. He had never been so happy in his life. They hadn’t picked a date yet, and there were still a million things to think about, but it wasn’t important right now. Iroh turned, crossing the floor once again, avoiding the one creaky floorboard that he’d been stepping on all night. He made a mental note to fix it when he got some time, but it was unimportant right now. Iroh leaned against the doorway, watching Bolin sleep. Bolin looked calm, but there was a trace of the joy that Bolin carried with him every day. It was so strange to think he’d lost his parents when he was young and that he’d grown up on the streets. Most people probably would’ve ended up like Mako, distant and untrusting. Iroh thought Bo looked younger when he slept, and it reminded him of Bo’s painful childhood. It also made their age gap painfully clear to Iroh. Even though Iroh only ever wanted to make Bo happy, he knew how it must look to everyone else. When a man dates someone eight years younger than him, it seems like he’s being manipulative. It was another reason Iroh was glad he had served two more years. He had to let Bolin become an adult without him, so when they were together, it was obvious that it was Bolin’s choice. Still, it wasn’t common for an eighteen-year-old to be getting married, let alone married to a twenty-six-year-old. 

As Iroh began to fret over the small details again, Bolin stirred in his sleep. Iroh held his breath, trying not to wake Bo, but seconds later, a pair of emerald green eyes flew open. Bolin looked over to see Iroh in the doorway, a grin immediately spreading across his face. A tinge of concern appeared when Bo realized it was still the middle of the night.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Bolin asked softly, sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Iroh paused, unsure how to answer.

“I’m just thinking about all the things we have to plan for the wedding,” Iroh answered honestly, “Especially how the Fire Nation will react to their Fire Lord marrying another man.”

“What do you mean?” Bolin cocked his head to one side, making the single strand of hair that hung down on his forehead shift.

“Well, it’s not like we can have children. And I don’t know how the country will react to an adopted heir to the throne,” Iroh said anxiously. He had meant to wait to tell Bo about this, but once he started, he couldn’t stop. Bo had that effect on him. He was so willing to listen and help that it was impossible to refuse him. This time, though, Bo smiled again.

“If they’re anything like you, they’ll be kind and welcoming,” Bolin answered reassuringly, “And they’ll be strong and brave, too.” Iroh couldn’t help but crack a smile. It was just like Bo to make him feel better like this.

“Either way, it’s not like there has ever been a Fire Lord who didn’t have a wife,” Iroh protested, but he could tell that Bolin was having none of it.

“We can cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let’s just focus on planning the wedding,” Bolin suggested. His green eyes still had the joyful, optimistic glow they always had, and he was trying to make Iroh see that same light.

“Bo, ignoring the problem won’t make it go away,” Iroh replied, unconvinced.

“Neither will losing sleep over what you can’t control,” Bolin shot back. He stood up from the bed, stretching for a moment, and walked over to face Iroh. “I love you, and the Fire Nation loves you too. When you have to deal with this, I’ll be right by your side. But don’t get yourself all worked up over something that may not even become an issue.” Bolin brought Iroh into a tight embrace. He was strong and sturdy, just like the earth, but he was so soft and comforting that Iroh started to feel better. Bolin pulled Iroh down for a long, slow kiss, and Iroh knew that he could let it go, at least for now. He breathed a deep sigh, relaxing for the first time since before he’d proposed. “Like I said, let’s concentrate on planning our wedding. What kind of food should we have?” Bolin asked, hoping to capitalize on Iroh’s momentary relaxation by distracting him with something else. Iroh knew exactly what Bolin was doing, but he was still grateful. “I love Water Tribe food,” Bo offered.

“Babe, you love all food,” Iroh chuckled, pinching one of Bolin’s chubby cheeks as proof.

“That’s not true,” Bolin protested, “I don’t like Air Nation food. They don’t even eat meat.” Iroh raised an eyebrow, suspicious of Bolin not liking any food at all. “Okay, fine,” Bolin relented, “I like Air Nation food. I just think it would be better with meat.” Iroh laughed while Bolin pretended to pout a little bit.

“So maybe we should do a buffet of food from all four nations?” Iroh suggested, still shaking out the laughter. Bolin nodded, his eyes widening in anticipation. It made him look like a hungry puppy dog, which made Iroh giggle. “Then what about the guest list?” Iroh asked, “We’ll have to make sure we send invitations to your whole family, plus everyone else.”

“We should probably write this down,” Bolin said, “My family’s pretty huge, and then we have to think about your family.” Bolin grabbed a sheet of paper and started writing, and ten minutes later, he held out a list of thirty names for Iroh to check. “This is just my family,” Bolin explained. Iroh was shocked, but he remembered that they had the Fire Nation’s Royal Treasury at their disposal. He normally would use as little of the Treasury as he could, but for Bolin, he was willing to be a bit less cautious.

“Well, all we need for my family is my mother, Grandfather Zuko, and my sister,” Iroh explained. It made him feel a bit better about spending any money that most of it was for Bolin.

“You have a sister?” Bolin asked, surprised. Iroh nodded.

“Ria. She’s a bit younger than me, and she’s studying cultural differences between the nations. She really wants to move to Republic City because she thinks it would be fascinating, but my mother won’t let her. I think she wants Ria close because I left to join the United Forces when I was only eighteen,” Iroh explained.

“Well she’s coming to our wedding,” Bolin decided, “I want to meet my future sister-in-law.” Iroh nodded, grinning. It was hard to imagine Ria, an academic, having a conversation with Bolin, but Iroh supposed miracles could happen. “We also have to invite Korra, and Asami, obviously, and Bumi, since you served with him,” Bolin began listing off names while Iroh scrambled to write them down. Luckily, Iroh had done enough paperwork that he could write quickly. “We should invite Tenzin and his family, too, because they let me and Mako stay with them on Air Temple Island, and then it would just be rude if we didn’t invite Kya and Katara, and the Beifongs, of course.”

“Hang on,” Iroh interjected, “You want to invite the entire Beifong family?” Bolin stopped, thinking about it.

“I guess we could just invite Lin, Su, and Opal,” Bolin said, “The rest of them would probably have to stay in Xaofu anyway, just to make sure the city stays safe. Did I miss anyone?” Iroh checked the list again.

“We should probably invite Korra’s parents, because my mother has always been friendly with the Southern Water Tribe. And we’ll have to invite Princess Eska and Prince Desna of the Northern Water Tribe, too, just so it seems fair.” Iroh stopped when Bolin tensed up and his expression turned nervous.

“Are you sure we have to invite Eska?” Bolin asked quietly, “I don’t think she’d react well to me marrying anyone, especially a man.”

“Well, we can’t just not invite the Northern Water Tribe. That would inhibit diplomatic relations between us for many years,” Iroh reasoned, “Besides, why wouldn’t Eska react well?”

“I really never told you about her?” Bolin asked incredulously, “She went all crazy and tried to marry me, and then tried to kill Korra. I mean, she did help us fight off the spirits in the end, and then she just kind of ignored me completely.”

“It sounds like she just came to her senses,” Iroh suggested, trying to soothe Bolin’s concerns.

“Well, maybe you’re right,” Bolin conceded uneasily, “I guess we can invite Eska if we have to.”

“We should also invite Prince Wu of the Earth Kingdom, then,” Iroh added.

“It looks like we’re going to have a big wedding,” Bolin said happily. Iroh wasn’t sure about having a big wedding, but Bolin seemed to like the idea.

“I can’t wait until we get married,” Iroh replied quietly. Bolin didn’t say anything for a moment, but he moved back to Iroh and pressed another long kiss to his lips. Neither man spoke, but Bolin’s face broke into a small smile. He pulled Iroh back to their bed, wrapping him in his warm embrace once again. Bolin pulled the covers over the two of them, whispering “I love you.” Without the anxiety he’d been feeling earlier, Iroh was beginning to feel exhausted. Even a few nights without sleep were starting to take a toll on Iroh. Bolin could tell. He felt the subtle tension in Iroh’s muscles. Bolin massaged Iroh’s shoulders, kneading the tension out. Iroh purred in appreciation. Bolin soothed Iroh to sleep, pressing soft kisses into his skin. He watched Iroh’s long eyelashes fan out over his cheeks. He loved seeing Iroh so relaxed. It was a nice change from all the stress Iroh carried every day. Truthfully, Bolin wasn’t sure what to think about how the Fire Nation would receive him, but for some reason, Bolin knew that he and Iroh would be together forever. Iroh slept more deeply than ever before nestled in Bolin’s soft, strong arms, and Bolin nuzzled into Iroh’s warm body as if it were shaped specifically for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr: heyy-its-k.tumblr.com  
> Leave a comment!


End file.
